We always used Saxon, have Life of Fred..but we really LOVE Foerster's..got it two weeks ago and my son has done the first 20 lessons already! As long as they have a strong grasp of multiplication/division, they'll do fine! I highly recommend it! :) Tara

Medicare/Medicaid has rampant abuse...if we had one agency (20 people would be enough) to sit and double check the largest abuses, you could save billions...stop those raping the system... Tort reform...malpractice costs for physicians is outrageous not to mention for hospitals...limit the amount lawsuits can sue...there are billions going out every year...malicious malpractice is not common, but people are human, people with multiple disease conditions take to suing when it was the same physicians who prolonged their life 5-10 years....there's always a funds thirsty attorney to lead them into a malpractice suit.... those would be my first two starts.

Just wanted to encourage you staying home! It's a gem for a 13 year old to want his mom or anyone to stay with him...don't neglect that need/wish...to me, it just shows him he can depend on you and when they're ready/able to go it alone, they will do it without trepidation....a lot can change in a year, listen to your kids...it could also be a great mom/son time to get alone time playing cards, reading a book, just letting him know how much he means to you! Tara

I'm all about wood floors, we have a farm, horses ..we're back and forth to the barn daily, tracking red clay mud in...dogs are running through the house...the key to a wood floor is not to skimp! We chose white oak (harder than red oak) and the type that has thickness (nailed down) where you can re-sand every 7-8 years and the floors will last you 50 years...there are also topical treatments that are wonderful and nothing penetrates...I've had ice melting that I missed and my 4 coats of finish (used 1 coat of stain and 3 coats of finish, buffing in between each coat) and it just puddles up...Duraseal is the best finish in my opinion, more expensive but worth it. HTH! Tara

I sometimes say "Bible teaching" church...I have dear friends who are methodist ministers....this is not ALL methodist churches but of the 7 or 8 I've attended they will pick out 1-2 verses and build a discussion around it...they never have their Bible with them as they're speaking and flip back and forth with supportive scripture. I love a Bible teaching church because I want to get INTO the word not just get opinion out of the word....so by taking Proverbs 3:5-6 and tying it in with scripture from specific events in biblical history and then showing how Paul was tested in his ability to trust in God in x,y,z...I feel like I'm getting a bigger picture... Both are perfectly acceptable, I just prefer to have a church that uses more scripture. I liken it to a literature study...some may take one aspect of a chapter and talk about allegory/character development..or you could take allegory and find 10-12 places in the book where it supports that...I just prefer more referencing to the Bible...simply reading passages of the Bible and not 'teaching' is another style perfectly acceptable, I just prefer digging deeper than what I can do on my own at home. Tara

I think you were just too intrusive..I took piano for 9 years all three of my children have had lessons for 5 years...the BEST recommendation for where to spend your money is going to be from her students..I never look for piano teachers by calling them directly...I find students I know and respect and ask who they like...most the times they have already been through 2-3 teachers and can help guide you...when I DO call a piano teacher I simply ask them what books they like to use, how much each lesson runs and how many recitals does she do each year...your questions just got progressively more and more personal..I could care less about their 'education' in music...many have phd's in music and can't teach worth a flip.. If anything, ask if they will give you a reference and call them with questions but again just keep the questions about what they "like" about their teacher, let them speak and do not grill about any negatives, it will put them in an awkward position...you can easily tell when someone tells you about likes if it's a match for you. Tara

:lurk5: Too many to check out, but I ended up (just finalizing yesterday after 2 years of huhs?) Life of Fred..his website will tell you to do decimals/fractions first Foerster's Algebra Brown Geometry and I will probably buy UCMSP for extra problems or another text, I like for my son to use ONE text for learning but have 1-2 extras for just throwing open the book and seeing if he can do the problems written in a different style...to me that helps with their confidence and practice. Tara

Thank you all!!!!! I did as many of you suggested and found two books on amazon, got the Brown Geometry book for $4 and paid $17 for Foerster's..have no idea what edition but know that 1994 was the earliest...they should be here tomorrow! :) I HATED geometry so I may end up trying 2-3..hopefully that new Saxon one will be out, has anyone used that at all?? I'm hoping at age 43 I can go into geometry with a much great understanding or my son will just be one of those that says, "I get it, no problem!" :) Thanks! Tara

Well, at first I was going to double check to make sure you did not have my son in your house! Ah, no, but you have one of your own, we are lucky! :) First, no arguing...when my son has attempted to say things like "I don't have to do that part right now, I can do it Monday...or she doesn't expect us to do xyz (referring to his science teacher, who I know DOES expect xyz)"...I give him that mommy look, and have a short concise dialogue on respectful talk and what is tolerated...when HE brings home 95 averages on his own without my prodding/staying on his back/double checking his work, THEN he can share his opinion...but he has to earn it and talking back or mumbling/grunting is not a sign of good character...we keep a high standard..now we don't go nuts on every transgression but enough that it is not common around here and he'll even stop himself before he's about to utter a grievance. Now my son CAN and does earn 95's and up..but if left to his own control..would be l'aissez faire about C's. Today I had to take 11 year old for physical for a campout..and sit with our neighbor at the hospital to give her husband a break...it would take 3 hours to do that...I gave him 2 hours worth of work to complete, I get home and he's done 10%...read 20 pages out of 59 and completed one problem out of 11....he did not do his Rosetta or his Algebra...he said he played with the kittens outside and in his room...NICE... The way we handle it is to never leave him alone, if I go to the doctor he goes and does his work in the car..he can wait in the hospital and read his Chemistry lab...we make him GO EVERYWHERE with us (even the girl's dance classes) until he earns the right to stay home and be responsible enough to do his work..he had earned it but after today, we're back to 2 weeks with momma. The best way I have found to have him complete his work during the week while I'm home (95% of the time) is to have a daily checklist...I do not check it daily, just too hard, but he has a folder that he has to check off and put his assignments per subject folder in...I check it on Friday, if he has not completed ANY of the assignments...only did 12 boxes on Rosetta instead of 16, he can not play video games or watch TV the entire weekend. He loves one video game that he plays with friends he met on a cruise this Spring, they live all over the country and he has cousins here in the states that he plays with, so he loves that time...the most industrious student on this continent can be found at my house from 12:00-5:00 (5:00 is the deadline) on Friday...that kid can knock out 3 Algebra lessons, 2 essays, and a Chemistry exam in one afternoon! :) I do give breaks, every 9th week of school we take a WEEK off, he can veg and do whatever...and he DOES!! It gives me a chance to regroup and catch up on any grading/planning I need to do.. HTH! Tara

A new title to check out! Thanks! I wish I could sit down in one room with ALL these options and it would be much simpler to eliminate! :) Tara

I did like a supplement some professor has that goes along with Foerster, does it really matter which edition they have? I just have not been able to find samples of it anywhere...my son does not like books that are filled with useless pictures/color pizzazz on his math books, that is why LOF and Saxon appealed to us, I want a solid book and I don't care how old...can I get by with the 1994 edition? Thanks! I need to check BJU as well, we've used their biology and liked that but was concerned their text for math may be as colorful and distracting as some of the others I've seen (Glencoe)...thanks!! Tara

I am sold on IEW IF you are diligent about using the additional resources available to you and view all those videos..I think the program without the videos is lacking 50%. There are support groups on yahoo that have over 100 files for additional helps/organization/ideas that have been very helpful to me. I would start with SWI-B then go to Medieval or similar...then in 7th grade once he has mastered all the techniques/dress ups move on to stronger essays either using TWSS or high School essay intensive...I think for 7-8th grade I would just use the skills on essay writing from TWSS and use the helps from those forums to design your own writing assignments, literary critiques/reports for other subjects he's studying etc. The other programs are not as good at building from the basics..and the frustration of not knowing what to write is eradicated through the writing prompts/outlines SWI or TWSS provides. HTH! Tara

I just need to make a decision, we've been waffling... we have Life of Fred Algebra 1, but I didn't think it had enough problems so we have Saxon Algebra to add some in...but that has geometry mixed in...I think he has enough Algebra 1 under his belt to go ahead and start Geometry...(we want to start in the next 3 weeks)...I can't find Jacob's/Lial's anywhere to look at it, I did find UCSMP Algebra 2 and Glencoe Algebra 2....both are okay looking... We really liked Saxon for 1-7 but want a dedicated Geometry book....does Life of Fred's do a thorough job? I HATED geometry, I had 2 years of Calculus (three if you count high school) and have NO problem with Algebra/Calc...well until you go nuts on integrating sin/cos/tan...blech! I know many of you have been at this juncture and had to make a decision and probably bought a lot...we're not too keen on Teaching Textbooks or Chalkdust...I'm just hoping a magical answer will poof for me and make this dilemma end! Thanks for your help! Tara

It could be a simple sole or heel bruising, especially with tenderness on concrete...thoroughbreds can have joint damage from their years on the track and it starts to show up around now, navicular syndrome is also a consideration..is she 'tender' footed AFTER her shoes are put on? Do you allow her to go barefoot half the year to rebuild up her sole? I believe it is pain related and it's almost like a reflex...horses generally will not 'go down' to avoid work or instruction...they may rear back, pull away, turn their butt to you, but not go down....it's harder for them to pull themselves up..but if there's a tender spot all they can think of is the quickest means to end the pain...going down takes that pressure off...they are very smart... Good luck and work on that backing!! :) Tara

I'll fall back to Philippians 4:8 on this one...and for us we do find things that are wonderful through Halloween, we have dear friends who we have a tradition of trick or treating with every year, no gory costumes, usually characters from some literary piece or fun movie... It's all in your heart of it, if you focus MORE on Halloween than on the way you lead your life as a Christian, than perhaps it has become an idol in your life...the same thing with Xbox a cellphone or other...we don't decorate a whole bunch, a few pumpkins outside and a special night with dear friends....where we ARE sharing our faith, our spiritual gifts and fellowship...it's a special thing to my children b/c they love their friends so dearly...that to me comes first. Tara

I am pure evil...we're on a mission to explain thriftiness and eating right....tonight for my 3 growing teens... 1 frozen package of cauliflower/broccoli/carrots 2 cans speckled beans 1 frozen creamed corn package It's amazing when we have veggie night that they're full after their servings...okay, my oldest dd who is 12, wears a size 9.5 women's shoe and is 5'6 and 110 pounds is toasting two pieces of whole wheat toast and putting strawberry jam on it for 'dessert'...the other kids if they want dessert are left with fresh apples from the orchard today. When I used to put 1-2 pounds of beef into our nacho toppings, I now only use .5 pounds beef, 2 cans of black beans, 1 can of kidney beans and sauteed onions/garlic with it...they pour it over corn chips and top with sour cream/cheese if they like....I've found that doubling our veggies has really helped with their appetites...my 15 year old is 6'1 and weighs 210 pounds and wears a size 13 shoe... On the milk, it's like gold in our house, it's my only 'splurge' next to veggie raised eggs...I buy organic so they know they each should drink 8 ounces a day but it comes in their cereal bowl or a full glass, I actually bought glasses from Williams Sonoma outlet that holds exactly 8 ounces and has a cow on it, we call it our milk glasses...my son would use our 16 ounce glasses and pour that milk in and drink it down....I just could feel our monthly food budget pouring out!! If they want snacks, I keep almonds (they're good for you but no one can eat that many in our house), fruit, carrots, celery, or whole grain crackers with cheese slices....we've all been feeling better and I have got our food budget down to $560 a month for the 5 of us....:) Once a month we have a JUNKED out food day and enjoy chips/dip, homemade brownies, lasagne! :) We just realized if we really cut back on food and made wiser choices we could afford a cool family vacation more often...so they're all on board! :) ADDED: DRATS!! Teen son just asked where the ham for sandwiches was....ugh....he had 2 slices....now dd 12 is going for her 4 serving size wheat crackers! I think we'll just call it bedtime and hope the oatmeal tides them over in the morning! :) Tara

I'm the cheapo traveler, hit all free museums while in London...only paid for Tower of London....we used Priceline and got 2 rooms (family of 5) at the Hilton near Kensington (Hyde Park) for $68 a night....they run for over $350 on their website!! Just keep putting in 4 star and around Hyde Park/Kensington, close to the tube for getting around! Tara

Hoping to encourage you, many viral infections have the same effect as the serious bugs out there...I had viral meningitis 10 years ago, it was horrific, but since it was viral there was nothing they could do besides give me pain medicine, it took 2-3 weeks before I felt better.... Once,my daughter complained of sore throat and had been laying on the couch for 3 days, strep was negative...we were coming home from spending holiday with grandparents....she started SCREAMING about neck pain, we were 2 hours from home and I had no clue what to do..her fever was about 101...but she could not hold her head up and trying to have her lay in my lap to get rest from it was stressful...by the time we finally reached home she had 'passed' out from the pain but seemed to be resting and no fever, she woke up from the pain and we had to take her to the ER...same thing, they just said viral meningitis...nothing they could do.... Typically, with bacterial they will run a ridiculously high fever..105-106....hope this encourages you, we're both better and never had another issue! But it IS painful and knocks you out! Tara

Thank you all so much, my grandmother lives 2 hours away so we are not able to visit her often...it was just felicitous luck that we were able to take her there on Friday...her heart is not strong and that's what worries me...she was hospitalized 2 weeks before for a 'weak' heart and extremely low blood pressure...I just can't tell her yet...in my mind, I know I will tell her, I just don't know when. Tara

I agree...I do blame the buyers who fell for their pie in the sky promises....but desperate/foolish/count your eggs before they hatch people fall more easily...even responsible, financially conservative people fall...we had two mortgages for 31 months, it was extremely difficult and it'll take us about 2 years to get out of the debt from that..we had to put our lives on hold....we made decisions that would help us (trading in gas guzzler for Prius, keeping up our 11 year old van etc.) and in the end our house sold but we lost a great deal of our equity (lost 60k which would have easily paid off our debt)...but I do put a large blame on the thug bankers..... The irony is that the family who bought our house was able to do so because he robbed his bank..he was president of a local bank and sold his 800k house so he could get it out of his name before the state's attorney general seized it...they paid cash for our house and made jokes at the closing table about how they would just buy a whole new house full of furniture....(the man buying their house wanted all their furniture)..he was in cahoots with a local attorney and they made off with thousands of bad loans....so now they put our house in his wife's maiden name so that if the state every brings them to court...he gets to keep his while thousands lose theirs....nice.

Well, I'm an AU grad, my Dad was an AU grad and hope all my three will be...but a credit is a credit and I guess we'll have to suck it up! :) Or Auburn needs to get in the game and start their own! :) Tara

We're all broken up to pieces and sooo emotionally drained today...last year my grandmother (87) asked me to take her maltese home with us (she was only a year old) and my youngest dd adopted her as her own...they've been inseparable..."L" slept with both girls every night and was always in someone's lap. Last month my grandmother put herself in assisted living, leaving her home of 68 years! So Friday I felt we really needed to take "L" to go see her..."L" jumped right up in her lap and laid there..it was precious and made my grandmother soooo happy. Today, we found her...she had followed our beagle into a pasture and was hit by a car...she has NEVER crossed the street in this whole year....there was too much damage and we had to decide to put her down...head trauma and 5 breaks in her pelvis...we just couldn't put her through the multiple surgeries and doc wasn't sure of the extent of her brain damage... I just don't feel I should tell my grandmother...I know I couldn't anytime this week b/c I just break down...but should I tell her? She's not in the best of health and very frail...I"m so sad... Tara

Thanks for reminding me..my son will be in 10th grade next year...do you have any further information on what upper maths will be offered? Thanks! Tara

I am so sorry, but have hope, things look up! Our 15 year old son was in a land of apathy...he loved football but without the Tim Tebow bill there are few opp's for him to play and to be honest, I didn't want him to play...had a dear uncle who passed last year and we're convinced it's directly related to his years playing against Mike Ditka in the 'old college days'...all his symptoms were right in line with all the studies that are coming out from Boston Univ...okay, I digress.. But he had to try something! He needs to get out there...so I signed myself up to teach writing at a co-op, I was going to teach my own 3 anyhow, why not add 20 to the mix...I believe writing is one of those subjects where they REALLY benefit from sharing their ideas/discussions on great books/compositions with each other AND it will give him some much needed 'teen' time...that led to him wanting to try basketball again, he hasn't played since he was 6 years old! But 4 of the boys in my writing class are on the same team...(Upwards) so he's now on a team..at the beginning of the summer I was in your spot, just praying that God would fulfill this need in him and help me guide him through it..today, things are looking up....I think our whole existence as parents is a volley between the pits and the peaks...as long as we handle the pits with as much love and grace as the peaks..they'll all come out fine! :) Hoping your week provides some shining peaks for you!!! Tara

I agree, do NOT send the letter.....on the 'hellicopter' issue, you've got a very opinionated, threatened mil...don't feed her fury, ANY letter you send will be turned around into a piece of evidence to support any and all of her ideas...if she asks, be polite and kind...don't let your frustration and need to be 'approved & accepted' by them rule your actions... These are your children, and I strongly believe any communication on this subject should be b/w your husband and his mother not you....men like to lay low and not discuss..but there may come a time when he needs to ...so go ahead and have those discussions now so it doesn't cause strife b/w you and him in the future.. Stay strong, don't give your fears any value until they're real and not what if's...most the time these mil's are all talk and that's what keeps their day interesting, today it's your homeschooling, tomorrow it'll be the neighbor's suspicious trash at the curb.. Tara